Staff Bios
Wendy Everett, ScD
Dr. Wendy Everett plays a leading role in creating NEHI's lasting partnerships with other successful national health policy organizations. As President, she works with the board to create NEHI's vision and strategy, and to communicate it to the outside world. She also provides direction and oversight for NEHI’s many reports and initiatives.
Dr. Everett was appointed as the first President of the New England Healthcare Institute (NEHI) in July 2002. With over thirty years of experience in the health care field, Dr. Everett brings a unique perspective to NEHI. She has held executive positions at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center (UCSF) and at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. In the 1980s, she directed a national demonstration program for The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and subsequently was the Program Director for the national program in health promotion and disease prevention for the Kaiser Family Foundation.
She has served as a consultant to many state and national philanthropic foundations. In the mid 1990’s, she became a Director of the Institute for the Future, leading the Health and Health Care research team for six years and overseeing the creation of ten-year, national forecasts in health/health care. She is a Trustee of many health care and philanthropic boards.
Dr. Everett holds two bachelor of science degrees and master's and doctoral degrees in health policy and management from Harvard University.
Valerie Fleishman
Valerie Fleishman provides the strategic and operational direction for NEHI. As Executive Director, she oversees the institute’s policy research, programs, operations, fundraising and communications. Under her leadership, NEHI's programs seek to improve chronic illness care, promote disease prevention and wellness, and speed the adoption of valuable innovations across the health care system. She has authored numerous reports, articles and briefs on a wide range of health policy issues.
Ms. Fleishman joined NEHI at its founding in 2002. She has over fifteen years’ experience in health care, health policy, technology and innovation. Prior to joining NEHI, Ms. Fleishman was a director in Health and Wellness at Scient Corporation, where she led strategic consulting engagements with leading biotechnology, medical device and pharmaceutical clients in areas such as telemedicine, disease management, health information technology, clinical trials, and sales and marketing strategies.
Previously, Ms. Fleishman was a manager in Arthur D. Little's Global Strategy Practice. She also worked in product management and brand marketing at Johnson & Johnson's McNeil Consumer Products.
Ms. Fleishman received her BA, cum laude, from Harvard University and her MBA from the Harvard Business School. In 2008, she was honored as one of Boston’s "40 under 40" by the Boston Business Journal.
David Fleming
Dave Fleming is Group Senior Vice President and Corporate Officer of Genzyme, which he joined in 1984, following 11 years with Baxter Travenol (now Baxter International). He is responsible for Genzyme’s Diagnostic Products businesses worldwide, as well as special corporate initiatives involving E-Business Strategy and Health Care Policy. Over the past six years, Mr. Fleming has helped to co-found four key New England-based institutions: The Massachusetts Medical Device Industry Council (MassMEDIC), New England Baptist Bone and Joint Institute (NEBJI), HealthPoint (a CareGroup Fitness and Wellness Center), and the New England Healthcare Institute (NEHI). In June, 1998, the Mass High Tech Journal recognized Mr. Fleming as a 1998 Mass High Tech All-Star. Mr. Fleming serves on the boards and executive committees of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC), the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed, Washington, D.C.), New England Baptist Hospital (NEBH), and MassMEDIC. Mr. Fleming holds a BS degree from the College of Wooster and an MBA from Pepperdine University.
Nick King
Nick King works to bring NEHI’s vision to the professional world and the public. He focuses on promoting, publicizing, and getting media coverage for NEHI’s reports and initiatives, and on making sure that NEHI connects with our broad membership base. He also works to make sure that NEHI’s reports reach the health care policy makers.
Nick King brings extensive experience in journalism and communications - including writing, editing and strategic planning - to his role at NEHI, where he is the organization’s first director of communications. He comes to NEHI from the Boston Globe, where he held a series of increasingly high-level positions over 30 years. Most recently he was editor of the newspaper’s opinion page, where he solicited articles from outside experts ranging from Nobel Prize winners to community activists. Prior to that, Mr. King was the editor of the Globe’s special sections, overseeing the conception, production and marketing of ”The New Boston,’’ a special issue published during the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston.
Mr. King was also editor of the Boston Globe Magazine and served on a strategic planning committee charged with redesigning and relaunching the weekly publication. In addition, he was editor of the Globe’s feature section and editor of its Sunday 'think’ section. As editor of the paper’s State House and City Hall bureaus, Mr. King organized and directed coverage of the 1984 John Kerry-Ray Shamie US Senate campaign. Prior to these editing positions, he was a reporter whose beats included covering Govs. Michael S. Dukakis and Edward J. King, state and national legal affairs, and metropolitan news. Before joining the Globe, he was a reporter at the Berkshire Eagle in Western Massachusetts.
During the course of his journalism career, Mr. King has won numerous awards for excellence, including from the Sunday Magazine Editors Association, the Society for News design, and the Art Directors Club. In 1975, he was a member of the Globe team covering the school busing crisis in Boston, for which the paper received the Pulitzer Prize for public service, considered journalism’s most prestigious award.
Mr. King is a graduate of Harvard University with a BA in English.
Judy Ozbun
Judy Ozbun focuses on member and resource development to support NEHI’s mission. As the primary liaison to members, she works to identify the value NEHI provides to our membership and partners, while incorporating members’ needs into our strategic programming. She identifies ways to engage members, partners and prospects.
Ms. Ozbun has extensive experience in corporate philanthropy and community investment programs, as well as non-profit board leadership. Prior to joining NEHI, Ms. Ozbun established the global community relations operations at the Genzyme Corporation. During her 11 years with the company, she negotiated and managed a $2 million partnership with the Boston Museum of Science to invest in biotechnology education programs; led senior executive committees in corporate responses to major disasters such as 9/11, the Asian Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina; and created the company’s employee-driven volunteer program, which is a model of giving for the life sciences industry.
Ms. Ozbun is chair of the board of directors for the Massachusetts Biotechnology Education Foundation, providing direction and oversight for K-12 and workforce training programs in the life sciences. Previously, she served on the board of directors of the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce and the Massachusetts State Science and Engineering Fair (MSSEF), and continues to serve in an advisory capacity to MSSEF and other nonprofit organizations. She has also served as an inaugural member of the Community Investment Leadership Roundtable of the Center for Corporate Citizenship at Boston College.
Ms. Ozbun makes presentations regularly at forums and conferences nationally, including the Harvard University Social Enterprise Conference, the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Women in Development, and Center for Nonprofit Success.
Ms. Ozbun received her BA in English from the University of Wyoming and her MBA from Boston University.
Tom Hubbard
Tom Hubbard’s principal work at NEHI focuses on the role of healthcare in economic development in Massachusetts. Mr. Hubbard’s work in healthcare policy with NEHI helps to transform healthcare by highlighting the benefits of rewarding prevention and improving care of chronic conditions .
Mr. Hubbard came to NEHI after seven years at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC), where he led industry-focused projects and supervised the annual publication of the MTC Index of the Massachusetts Innovation Economy. His work has included supervising the I-495 Technology Corridor Partnership, an industry-municipal collaboration on growth, and leading projects on broadband deployment, federal research funding advocacy, and nanotechnology.
Previously, Mr. Hubbard served as Executive Assistant for Economic Affairs to U.S. Senator John Kerry, as Deputy Director of Development for Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, and as Director of Community Development and Planning for the City of Gardner, Massachusetts.
He is a graduate of Harvard College and holds a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
Pamela Milton
Pamela Milton is the administrative genius behind NEHI’s success. She works in a variety of areas and oversees recruiting, training and supervising administrative help, administration of benefits, vendor relations and space management. She also works with outside experts to arrange meetings and conferences.
Ms. Milton has extensive administrative, finance, technology, and office management experience in both non-profit and educational organizations. Prior to joining NEHI, she served as Senior Executive Assistant to the President of Citizens International, the non-profit energy services consulting firm headed by former U.S. Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy II. Ms. Milton also served as the Senior Staff Accountant to the Chief Financial Officer at Citizens Energy Corporation. Her positions at Citizens required a great deal of contact in the U.S. and abroad with foundations, ambassadors, ministers and presidential offices.
Before joining Citizens, Ms. Milton served as the Senior Staff Accountant for Arichelle Technologies and the Folsom Cordova Unified School District. She is also a five-time United States Dance and Figure Skating Champion and Gold Medalist.
Jennifer Handt
Jennifer Handt works to publicly promote NEHI’s research and initiatives, developing and disseminating critical messages regarding the organization’s efforts to key audiences including media, members and policymakers.
Prior to joining NEHI, Ms. Handt was senior manager for the Executive Communications team at Fidelity Investments, where she secured executive speaking engagements and produced communications materials to promote retirement savings. Previously, she was deputy director of communications for the Business Roundtable, a Washington, DC-based lobbying association of FORTUNE 200 CEOs, where she worked to enhance the Roundtable’s public profile and increase awareness of its issues among key audiences.
Ms. Handt has also held public relations roles with Boston-based firms Brodeur Worldwide and Solomon McCown & Company. She previously worked in the Cause Marketing/Development division of The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, supporting cause marketing program development and management for Dana-Farber’s fundraising arm, The Jimmy Fund.
Ms. Handt holds a Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, in English and communications from Simmons College, where she received the Mariana Evans Creel Prize for Journalism.
Brian Schuetz
Brian Schuetz’s work at NEHI is focused on the FAST initiative and the organization’s work examining the impact of comparative effectiveness research on innovation in the U.S. healthcare system.
Mr. Schuetz's experience is focused in health policy research and development, specifically in the areas of health care reform, women’s health, elder health, and prescription drug issues. Prior to joining NEHI, he worked in the Public Sector Strategy and Operations Practice at Deloitte Consulting. Previously, he served as Acting and Assistant Director of the Women’s Health Policy and Advocacy Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and as Research Fellow for the Heinz Family Philanthropies, a health and environmental policy organization in Washington, DC
Mr. Schuetz holds a bachelors degree in Political Science from Tufts University and received his Masters of Science in Public Policy from the London School of Economics in the United Kingdom.
Erin McDevitt
Erin McDevitt supports membership and development efforts at NEHI, where she focuses on enhancing the organization’s network of members and partners.
Previously, Ms. McDevitt worked at ClinLab Staffing, a life sciences staffing firm, where she was responsible for prospecting, managing and retaining biotechnology and pharmaceutical clients. During her tenure there, she recruited highly specialized pre-clinical scientists from technician level through PhD. Ms. McDevitt has also worked in the Community Relations Department of Hasbro Inc., where she was exposed to grant making and development work. Additionally, she has traveled extensively with regional development members of Catholic Relief Services (CRS) to relief and development programs in India and Eastern Africa.
Ms. McDevitt received her BA in Human Development from Boston College.
Dominique Melissinos
Dominique Melissinos supports NEHI’s research initiatives, focusing on the FAST initiative, the effect of comparative effectiveness research on medical innovation, and issues surrounding prevention and wellness.
Before joining the NEHI team, Ms. Melissinos served as Project and Outreach Coordinator in the Governance Studies program at The Brookings Institution in Washington, DC. Her experience in policy research includes internships at the National Alliance to End Homelessness as well as the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. She has volunteered at numerous healthcare providers, including the San Jose Clinic, Harris County Psychiatric Center, and Texas Orthopedic Hospital in Houston, TX.
Ms. Melissinos earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with high distinction in sociology with a sub-concentration in health and aging from the University of Michigan. She also received a Master of Public Policy with a concentration in social policy from American University in Washington, DC.
Sonia Furtado
Sonia Furtado provides key support to NEHI’s team leaders. She manages schedules and travel plans. In addition, Ms. Furtado provides vital support on event planning, and helps train and orient new personnel.
Prior to joining NEHI, Ms. Furtado was a sales supervisor at Charles David of California and a productivity consultant at Franklin Covey Co. While working in retail, Ms. Furtado learned what exceptional customer service meant, trained new employees on sales standards and educated them on product knowledge. Ms. Furtado was also a camp counselor for five consecutive summers at the Cambridge Youth Enrichment Program, a non-profit camp run by Phillips Brooks House Association that offers affordable camp for children in Cambridge.
She is currently finishing her Associate’s Degree in Business at Bunker Hill Community College.
Kiki Taboh
As NEHI’s Receptionist, Kiki Taboh greets NEHI’s visitors, answers phones and provides critical administrative support -- from scheduling meetings to coordinating events -- to NEHI’s communications, membership and health policy teams.
Previously, Ms. Taboh honed her administrative and client service skills as an assistant to the Vice President of Marketing and the Executive Vice President and General Manager at Vertical Communications.
Ms. Taboh, a freelance photographer and web designer, studies business at Bunker Hill Community College.
Allison Bond
As Communications Intern, Allison Bond works to make NEHI's healthcare research and policy information accessible to NEHI's members, to policymakers and to the public. Her responsibilities include working to upgrade NEHI's website, helping to produce the quarterly NEHI newsletter, and participating in dissemination activities for NEHI's research reports.
Allison has written for a variety of scientific and medical publications, including Scientific American, Scientific American MIND, Discover magazine, Popular Science, American Academy of Pediatrics News, and Scienceline, a webzine produced by New York University's graduate science, health and environmental reporting program.
Allison received her masters degree from NYU's science journalism program and completed her undergraduate work in journalism at Northwestern's Medill School, graduating magna cum laude and with a concentration in chemistry. She will begin medical school in fall 2010.
Caitlin Young
Caitlin Young serves as Health Policy Intern and works to support ongoing research initiatives at NEHI geared toward reducing waste and inefficiency in healthcare.
Caitlin is currently a Health Policy Ph.D. Candidate at Brandeis University Heller School for Social Policy and Management. Previously, she worked in the Massachusetts State Legislature as Research Analyst for the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing and Policy Director for Elder Affairs and Health Care Financing in the office of Massachusetts State Senator Sue Tucker. She also served as an AmeriCorps Direct Service Volunteer in Lawrence, Mass., where she taught English and citizenship classes to adult immigrants.
She holds an M.S. in Public Affairs from the University of Massachusetts - Boston, and a B.A. in American History from the University of San Francisco.
Phone:
Fax:
Email: